Menu Decoder: Meet Baijiu, China’s Favorite Spirit

Last year, the U.S. imported some $462.8 billion worth of goods from China. One thing virtually absent from those shipping containers stocked with Chinese products? Baijiu: China’s national alcohol. Outside China, baijiu languishes in obscurity. Inside China, baijiu sits at the center of drinking culture: wedding banquets, official government meetings, and business deals are all toasted with an endless stream of thimble-sized cups filled to the brim.